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Press Release: 08/21/2023 11:00am AKST

CTC Awarded USDA ReConnect Round 4 Grant

Cordova to Invest $34.9 Million in Fiber Infrastructure

Cordova Telecom Cooperative (CTC) is pleased to announce it has been awarded $34,905,000 in grant funding from the USDA’s Rural Utility Service ReConnect Round 4 program to install a submarine fiberoptic cable from Cordova to Juneau, deliver Fiber-To-The-Home in the unserved community of Pelican, and have additional fiber branches to Yakutat, Gustavus, and Hoonah. With CTC’s match of $11,635,000 it will result in a community investment of $46,540,000.

The project, codenamed “FISH in SEAK” (Fiber Internet Serving Homes in Southeast Alaska), will deliver broadband internet speeds of 100/20 Mbps with gigabit potential to all year-round residents and businesses in Pelican via fiber-to-the-home connections. This will complement three other USDA investments with CTC; the Chenega Highspeed Internet Project (CHIP), the New Internet Communications for Everyone in Yakutat project (NICEY), and most recently, the Fiber Internet Serving Homes in Alaska project (FISH in AK) in Cordova which was awarded in July 2022. These grants will provide fiber connectivity to four rural roadless Alaska Native communities and new transport opportunities for telecom carriers serving Southeast Alaska.

“CTC is honored to bring broadband to the City of Pelican as well as aid other carriers with reliable backbone infrastructure in Southeast Alaska. This will provide vital connectivity to unserved and underserved communities in rural Alaska for which the USDA ReConnect Program has been invaluable to making that a reality,” stated CTC CEO, Jeremiah Beckett.

CTC will work with the community of Pelican and partners to deliver fiber broadband services over the next five calendar years. The Cooperative has already partnered with Pioneer Consulting to begin designing the path for the submarine cable and its multiple branch units. The consulting firm, which has engineered submarine cable projects across the globe, is designing the ReConnect Round 3 path from Cordova to Seward. Tentative installation for both fiberoptic cables is tentatively slated for 2026.

“This is a huge win for Pelican,” stated the City’s Mayor, Patricia Phillips. “Fiber being brought to our community will provide residents with lifechanging accessibility to remote services like healthcare, education, and sustainable economic development opportunities. We’re looking forward to working with Cordova Telephone Cooperative over the coming years as construction progresses.”

FISH in SEAK will consist of two simultaneous phases and take a maximum of five years to complete. Planning and engineering are scheduled to begin this year.

 

The ReConnect Program is an innovative program that offers unique federal financing and funding options in the form of grants, loans, and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in areas of rural America that don’t currently have sufficient access to internet. Priority was awarded for projects that propose to deliver higher-capacity connections to rural homes, businesses, and farms in severely underserved areas of the nation. To learn more about ReConnect please visit https://www.usda.gov/reconnect.

Cordova Telecom Cooperative is a member-owned local co-op serving the telephone, high speed internet, television, and technology needs of the community of Cordova, Alaska since 1978. Founded in 1997, Cordova Wireless provides cellular voice, text, and data services to Cordova, as well as Prince William Sound fishing grounds and Yakutat, Alaska. More information about Cordova Telecom and Cordova Wireless can be found at www.ctcak.net, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cordovatelecomcoop

Press Release: 07/28/2022 10:00am AKST

CTC Awarded USDA ReConnect Round 3 Grant

Cordova to Invest $28.5M in Fiber Infrastructure

Cordova Telecom Cooperative (CTC) is pleased to announce it has been awarded $21,404,940.00 in grant funding from the USDA’s Rural Utility Service ReConnect Round 3 program to deliver Fiber-To-The-Home in Cordova, Alaska, and a submarine fiber line from Cordova to Seward with strategic branches to the FAA Johnstone Point site and the Village of Chenega. With CTC’s match of $7,134,980.00, it will result in a community investment of $28,539,920.00.

The project, codenamed “FISH in AK” (Fiber Internet Serving Homes in Alaska), will deliver broadband internet speeds of 100/20 Mbps with gigabit potential to all year-round residents and businesses in Cordova via fiber-to-the-home connections. This will complement two other USDA investment with CTC; the Chenega Highspeed Internet Project (CHIP) and the New Internet Communications for Everyone in Yakutat project (NICEY). These grants will provide harmonious fiber broadband services to three rural roadless Alaska Native communities.

“Together our projects, FISH in AK, NICEY, and CHIP will deliver the largest serving of FISH-N-CHIPs in Alaska,” stated CTC CEO Jeremiah Beckett. “But all jokes aside, CTC is very excited and honored to receive another USDA ReConnect grant. In the past four years, CTC has secured over $42 million in USDA funding to upgrade our network for highspeed fiber-based broadband services. The opportunity to accelerate Cordova’s fiber network deployment and protect our communications with a secondary submarine line will significantly improve the quality of life, education, healthcare, and communications for our entire community.”

CTC will work with the community of Cordova and partners to deliver fiber broadband services over the next five calendar years. The FISH in AK project will invest over twenty-eight million dollars in Cordova to enhance and fortify fiber based broadband services.

“We are very excited to continue our partnership with Cordova Telecom through this award. CTC has been highly successful in using USDA Rural Development’s telecommunications programs to expand access to high-speed internet in Prince William Sound which is essential to educational and healthcare services, economic opportunity and public safety in rural communities.” General Field Representative, Natalie Kovach, who oversees USDA’s RUS Telecommunication Programs in Alaska. “From Yakutat to Chenega, and now in Cordova itself, we’re working together to increase network reliability and close the digital divide.”

 

The ReConnect Program is an innovative program that offers unique federal financing and funding options in the form of grants, loans, and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in areas of rural America that don’t currently have sufficient access to internet. Priority was awarded for projects that propose to deliver higher-capacity connections to rural homes, businesses, and farms in severely underserved areas of the nation. To learn more about ReConnect please visit https://www.usda.gov/reconnect.

Cordova Telecom Cooperative is a member-owned local co-op serving the telephone, high speed internet, television, and technology needs of the community of Cordova, Alaska since 1978. Founded in 1997, Cordova Wireless provides cellular voice, text, and data services to Cordova, as well as Prince William Sound fishing grounds and Yakutat, Alaska. More information about Cordova Telecom and Cordova Wireless can be found at www.ctcak.net, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cordovatelecomcoop

Press Release: 04/15/2022 10:00am AKST

CTC Awarded USDA Community Connect Grant

Chenega to Receive Expansive Broadband Services

Cordova Telecom Cooperative (CTC) is pleased to announce it has been awarded $3,000,000.00 in grant funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development’s Community Connect program to deliver high-speed broadband internet to the Village of Chenega located within Alaska’s Prince William Sound.

The Chenega High-Speed Internet Project (CHIP) will deliver broadband internet service to all year-round residents and businesses in Chenega via Fiber-to-the-Premises. The connection from Cordova will be done through upgrades to CTC’s existing microwave network located within the Sound.

“CTC is very excited to receive the USDA’s Community Connect grant and for the opportunities it will bring to Chenega.” stated Jeremiah Beckett, CEO of CTC. “Rural communities deserve access to the same broadband services as those in more urban areas. It is with programs such as this that we can help close that digital divide in rural Alaska.”

CTC will work with the Village of Chenega to deliver new internet services within the community and upgrading the existing towers. The project will invest three million dollars to extend the Cooperative’s network to Chenega and offer internet services with a minimum broadband speed of 25/3 Mbps. This unique opportunity was supported by Chenega’s regional partner, The Denali Commission, which provided financial support of the preliminary feasibility studies that made the USDA application possible.

 

“When we invest in rural infrastructure, we invest in the livelihoods and health of people in rural Alaska,” said Alaska State Director for Rural Development, Julia Hnilicka. “Broadband is an essential tool for businesses, residents and public institutions to be competitive and prosperous. The connections these people can now make will allow for distance learning, telemedicine and entepreneurship and we are really excited about these opportunties and more to come for more Alaskans.”

The Community Connect Program is annual funding opportunity from the USDA that has been utilized by CTC and the community of Cordova in the past in the form of grants to facilitate technology-related improvements in rural areas of America. In 2019, CTC was successfully awarded funding through the USDA’s ReConnect program to provide Fiber-to-the-Premises in Yakutat, Alaska and five remote towers to connect Yakutat to Cordova’s network. Community Connect is CTC’s next step in assisting underserved communities in Southcentral Alaska gain internet connectivity.

To learn more about Community Connect please visit: www.rd.usda.gov/community-connect.

Cordova Telecom Cooperative is a member-owned local co-op serving the telephone, high speed internet, television, and technology needs of the community in Cordova, Alaska and surrounding areas since 1978. Founded in 1997, Cordova Wireless provides cellular voice, text, and data services to Cordova, as well as Prince William Sound fishing grounds and Yakutat, Alaska.  More information about Cordova Telecom and Cordova Wireless can be found at www.ctcak.net, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cordovatelecomcoop.

Press Release: 12/03/2019 10am AST

CTC Awarded USDA ReConnect Grant

Yakutat community to get high-speed internet

Cordova Telecom Cooperative (CTC) is pleased to announce it has been awarded $18,888,668.00 in grant funding from the USDA’s ReConnect program to deliver high-speed broadband internet to the community of Yakutat Alaska.

The project codenamed NICEY (New Internet Communications for Everyone in Yakutat) will deliver broadband internet service to all year-round residents and businesses in Yakutat via fiber-to-the- home connections. Yakutat will be connected to Cordova’s submarine fiber optics via a new highly scalable Microwave middle mile network spanning over 230 miles between the two communities.

“The Yakutat Tlingit Tribe is excited to work with Cordova Telecom to bring high-speed broadband to Yakutat.  The USDA grant investment in Yakutat will allow for greater services in Health Care, Schools, and Social Services and will positively impact lives and opportunities for everyone in our community.  Rural connectivity has been a pressing matter and I am so thankful for the hard work and dedication from the folks at Cordova Telecom.  This is an exciting development and we look forward to seeing you in Yakutat.” said Nathan Moulton, Executive Director of Yakutat Tlingit Tribe.

CTC will work with the community of Yakutat and partners to deliver new services over the next three calendar years with initial activation targeted for the fall of 2021. The project will invest over twenty-five million dollars to extend the cooperatives network to Yakutat and offer a range of telecommunication services to community members.

“CTC is very excited and honored to receive a USDA ReConnect grant. The opportunity to extend Cordova’s network to Yakutat and deliver modern internet will significantly improve the quality of life, education, healthcare, and communications for the entire community.” stated Jeremiah Beckett, CEO of CTC

The ReConnect Program is an innovative new program that offers unique federal financing and funding options in the form of grants, loans, and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in areas of rural America that don’t currently have sufficient access to internet. Priority was awarded for projects that propose to deliver higher-capacity connections to rural homes, businesses and farms in severely underserved areas of the nation.  To learn more about ReConnect please visit https://www.usda.gov/reconnect.

Cordova Telecom Cooperative is a member-owned local co-op serving the telephone, high speed internet, television, and technology needs of the community of Cordova, Alaska since 1978.  Founded in 1997, Cordova Wireless provides cellular voice, text and data services to Cordova, as well as Prince William Sound fishing grounds and Yakutat, Alaska.  More information about Cordova Telecom and Cordova Wireless can be found at www.ctcak.net, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cordovatelecomcoop